iShopFor Ipsos Review: Legit Mystery Shopping or Not?
Are you on the hunt for some well-paid mystery shopper jobs? Then iShopFor Ipsos may appeal. But how does it actually work and, more importantly, how much can you realistically earn? I’ve been using it myself, so let’s cut through the marketing and look at the reality.
iShopFor Ipsos review
This isn’t a bad site to get into, especially for those new to mystery shopping. There’s a good mix of at-home and in-person jobs, but task availability and earnings depend heavily on where you live — and some assignments are far more involved than they first appear.
Pros
- Easy to get started compared to other mystery shopping sites
- Good range of assignments
- Some tasks pay very well
Cons
- Some jobs are time-consuming
- Limited appeal process if work is rejected
- Work availability varies a lot by location
Reviewed by Household Money SavingiShopFor Ipsos
Another week and another attempt at mystery shopping. And as you may know, over the years, I have joined some of the great mystery shopping sites. This time it was with Ipsos Mystery Shopping UK (formerly GFK). As I’m sure you’re aware, mystery shopping might not make you rich, but there are some great earning opportunities available. And Ipsos UK offered £150 for some of their mystery shopper jobs.
What is iShopFor Ipsos?
iShopFor Ipsos is a mystery shopping recruitment company. They will provide users with mystery shopping jobs on behalf of major companies. In return for their effort, users will receive a cash incentive and sometimes, may get to keep a product.
Is iShopFor Ipsos legit?
The Ipsos Mystery Shopper brand belongs to a large company called Ipsos MORI. The company was founded in France in 1975 and expanded into the rest of Europe and North America during the 1990s.
You will not find many mystery shopping or research companies with quite a long history as Ipsos MORI.
On a personal level, I’ve completed many mystery shopping tasks with them, made money through their survey site and never had an issue with payment.
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How does it work?
This seems to have changed since I first joined. Originally, you need to complete a short test before you became a mystery shopper, but this has now been removed.
Now, when you sign up, after providing your personal details, you will be ready to start earning straight away.
In your dashboard, you’ll find a list of jobs. They’ll give you a brief overview telling you the location, how much it pays and what the task involves. Alternatively, you can use the map option to look through the available jobs – each green circle indicates the number of tasks in that area.
Once you click on a job, you’ll be given more details on what’s involved. If you like what you see, accept the task and complete the short comprehension questionnaire. You do have to score 100%, but they are quite simple. For example, you might be asked to go into a bank and make a complaint about your account. One of the comprehension questions will ask if you need to be a member of the bank. Erm…
Obviously, the more built-up of an area you live, the more work that’s available. However, I live in a quiet area of the southeast, and there are still plenty of tasks not far from me.
What does mystery shopping with Ipsos involve?
This really depends on the task, with some jobs being far more involved than others. I saw one for a national chain of restaurants which paid £4, although I would also get £25 towards the meal.
It stated that I needed to:
1. Book a table at your allocated restaurant.
2. Ensure you arrive at the restaurant for the time you booked – do not arrive early or late as you might lose your table.
3. Visit the restaurant with at least one other person.
4. Order two main meals and two drinks of your choice.
5. Evaluate the staff’s knowledge of the food menu, including their ability to provide information and recommendations.
6. Assess key service measures.
7. Evaluate the cleanliness and condition of the restaurant’s toilets.
8. Take a note of key timings, such as how long it takes for your food to arrive.
9. After finishing your meals, you should wait for at least 10-15 minutes before leaving.
I would also need to provide photos of inside and outside the restaurant, as well as photos of my meal and receipt.
Oh, and there were 105 questions to answer.
Now, this may sound horrendous, but it’s actually around a couple of hours worth of work. In total this worked out at £15 per hour, so not too bad. And the quicker you eat, the more your hourly rate is. And that’s what I told my wife as I shovelled food into my mouth.
Other jobs that I’ve completed
Another task that was very close by was to have a baby seat fitted to my car. Although that’s more interaction than I would normally like, I thought I would still give it a go, in for a penny etc. It took around 10 minutes to read through what I needed to do, and I booked my shop for the following day.
The test itself took around 30 minutes and was fairly boring. It involved some poor chap struggling to install a car seat into my car, whilst I asked him some awkward questions. Amd then I had to tell him I didn’t like the seat. In all honesty, in some of these tests, you’re not supposed to let on that you’re a mystery shopper. But with some of the strange questions they had me asking, I would be amazed if he didn’t know.
When I returned home, I filled in a questionnaire, which took around 15 minutes. And then, the following day, I received confirmation that everything went well. My payment? £8 for around an hour’s work. Okay, it’s not great, but it wasn’t difficult to do.
I’ve also completed internet tasks. One needed me to apply for a mortgage redemption statement from my bank and share my thoughts on how easy it was. This paid £10 and Ipsos said it would take around 10 minutes. In all honesty, it took over 30 minutes, but I was still happy with the pay.
Do any of the jobs pay more?
The most I have earned from Ipsos Mystery Shopping is £86 for installing a smart meter. Arranging installation and answering questionnaires took no more than two hours in total. If I could earn £43 an hour in my full-time career, I would be a very happy man!
Some jobs that caught my eye but I didn’t complete due to time issues included:
- Visiting a mobile phone shop and buying a new phone and contract. This paid £40 and the purchase could be cancelled straight away.
- Make a telephone call to a company and ask some questions about their services. These took around 10 minutes and paid £3.
- Visit a car insurance company (actually in the branch) and ask for a quote. The conversation would be recorded with a machine (provided by Ipsos UK). This paid £80.
- Undertake an online mortgage assessment for £150. Although I didn’t need to take out the mortgage, it would leave a credit check on my file.
How are you paid?
Once you’ve submitted your work, it can take a few days for Ipsos to review and accept it, depending on how busy they are. But, I’ve had work reviewed in under an hour. Once done, you should receive your payment within around a week. Your earnings will be paid straight into your bank account.
What other people think
Surprisingly, even though the company has been operating for so long, there aren’t many reviews. From the handful that I could find on Trustpilot, it scored a bad 1.6 out of 5. The main complaints come from people who claim their work was declined and they didn’t receive their pay.
My iShopFor Ipsos review conclusion
Pay on iShopFor Ipsos varies wildly. Small jobs can feel underpaid, but the higher-value assignments can be excellent if you’re selective. Compared to some competitors, it’s easy to get started and payments are reliable once work is approved.
I won’t be doing every job that pops up, but I’ll definitely keep using it for the better-paying opportunities. Used sensibly, it’s a solid addition to your mystery shopping toolkit.
